The Pain Physician journal has changed from its current e-mail and paper article submission to a new online method. This new process eliminates problems with file size and figure quality.

To utilize the system, authors will click on the "submit manuscript online" link provided on the Pain Physician Web site and follow a few simple instructions for article submission. After submission is complete, the author will receive a confirmation email with a link designated to that article.

For questions on the Pain Physician online submission, contact Holly Long at: hlong@asipp.org

Along with updated technology, the journal also has an updated look. The January issue of Pain Physician will feature a new cover design (see graphic). Additionally the Journal publication will increase from quarterly to 6 times a year. You will now receive the Pain Physician in January, March, May, July, September, and November.

Make plans to attend ASIPP's newest course - a comprehensive review course and hands-on cadaver workshop dedicated solely to vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty on February 16-18, 2007 in Memphis TN. This CME educational program will consist of didactics covering various aspects of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, followed by a comprehensive hands- on cadaver workshop.

The course is designed to prepare physicians seeking credentialing or as an in-depth review of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Participants will experience a comprehensive learning opportunity focused on all aspects of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty.

Register before Jan. 30, 2007 to obtain the early registration discount! Visit the ASIPP Web site for the brochure and more information.

A federal judge temporarily delayed the track- and- trace regulation due to concerns it is unfair to some drug wholesalers. This repeatedly delayed federal rule requiring the tracking of prescription drug sales has been put on hold again, this time by a federal judge concerned that the regulation is an unfair burden to smaller drug wholesalers.

The Food and Drug Administration set Dec. 1, 2006, as the deadline for some drug wholesalers to begin providing transaction histories, known as pedigrees, tracing all of their drugs back to the original manufacturer. The rule stems from the Prescription Drug Marketing Act, signed into law in 1988.

Applications are now being accepted for the FIPP (ABIPP Part II) examination which will be held on March 11, 2007 in Memphis, TN. Successful completion of FIPP is a required component for the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP) certification.

The deadline for applications is Feb. 1. Space is limited so early registration is advised. Upon acceptance of your application, you will be sent review material for examination preparation. For more details on the FIPP exam or to access the application click on the following link FIPP or contact Paula Brashear at (806) 743-3112 or paula.brashear@ttuhsc.edu

Along with the FIPP examination, ASIPP is offering the Interventional Techniques Review Course (March 9) and a Comprehensive Cadaver Workshop (March 10). ASIPP has secured a group rate of $154 per night with host hotel Doubletree Downtown if booked by Feb 20th, 2007. Inform the agent you are booking for ASIPP. Online registration is now available. For information on the review course, cadaver workshop and exam, visit our Web site. Register Online today!

With only five months to go before most physicians, health care professionals, and payors are expected to use new ID numbers on claims, a workgroup following the issue has called on the government to allow more time to comply.

Any physician who files claims electronically with any type of public or private payer, even through a separate billing agency, must apply for and start using a 10-digit National Provider Identifier by May 23, 2007. Any doctor who bills Medicare electronically or by paper for services will need to use an NPI by that date or run the risk of delayed or rejected claims, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has warned.

Read more on AMA News

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Healthcare is set to return to the national political stage in 2007, setting up partisan clashes in Congress that could end with rare vetoes from President Bush and help to define the 2008 presidential campaigns. Washington Post, Dec. 26, 2006

More than 13,300 people have accessed the article “A randomized, controlled trial of spinal endoscopic adhesiolysis in chronic refractory low back and lower extremity pain,” earning it a “highly accessed” flag on BioMed Central’s online journal, Anesthesiology. The article, authored by Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Mark V. Boswell, Jose J. Rivera, Vidyasagar Pampati, Kim S. Damron, Carla D. McManus, Doris E. Brandon and Sue R. Wilson, has been on the web site since Aug. 1, 2006. The “highly accessed” graphic appears on the journal’s table of contents and search results to identify those articles that have been especially highly accessed, relative to their age, and the journal in which they were published. See it at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471- 2253/5/10

“Prevalence of facet joint pain in chronic spinal pain of cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions," a May 2004 article by Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Mark V. Boswell, Vijay Singh, Vidyasagar Pampati, Kim S. Damron and Carla D. Beyer. This article has been accessed by more than 28,000 people since it first appeared on BioMed Central. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471- 2474/5/15

“Risk of whole body radiation exposure and protective measures in fluoroscopically guided interventional techniques: a prospective evaluation.” The article, written by Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Kim A. Cash, Tammy L. Moss, Jose Rivera, and Vidyasagar Pampati, was published in 2003, has been viewed over 11,800 times, and as the articles mentioned above, is available to open access on the BioMed Central Web site: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471- 2253/3/2